


Reaching the Endzone

by kitten_with_a_pencil



Category: 2NE1, Big Bang (Band), GOT7, Jay Park (Musician), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, American Football, Angst, Cheerleaders, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, Slow Build, Social Anxiety, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-05-22 17:49:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6088933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitten_with_a_pencil/pseuds/kitten_with_a_pencil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark is a socially awkward male cheerleader at Summerall High who has fallen hopelessly for the football team's star quarterback, Jackson Wang. Jackson on the other hand is constantly the center of attention with his bright and ecstatic personality, however he can't help but feel intrigued by the out -of-place cheerleader. After facing many troubles and overcoming multiple obstacles, we'll have to find out weather or not these two boys will reach the endzone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Game Changer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sparklingdoitsu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparklingdoitsu/gifts).



The muggy, late summer night breeze blew through the air as crowds of people began to pour into the stands surrounding the football field.The smell of cheap burgers cooking on the large grill behind the concession stand, crappy nachos, and the rank smell of sweat and bug spray engulfed the area. To anyone that wasn't used to the usual high school games, the atmosphere would be too much to handle, although to those who lived and breathed for their team and school, it felt like home in every sense of the word. 

Mark was a junior at Summerall High, a cheerleader if we went into detail. He had never meant to join the team with the girls his freshman year, however whenever the coach caught ear that there was a student that was talented in tumbling, he was being dragged to a practice that he had no desire in attending. It was awkward at first, being as he was the only male on the team, however he made friends with the rest of the girls quickly, allowing them to help him keep up with drama that was going around school and be the one to look after them when they needed help. Although Mark was the only male, it seemed as if he was the mom of the cheerleading team. 

This specific night the school was clashing against their biggest rivals from the next town over, the energy from the teams and spectators alike enough to get everyone riled up and itching for the game to begin. Mark was helping around the field before the game in any way he could, carrying cases of water to the benches for the football players that would soon be there. 

“Mark! What's up?” A voice called out from the other side of the fence he was on. The silver haired boy looked up and happily grinned at the familiar face in front of him. 

“Just helping around before I have to start cheering, what are you doing here, Junior? You usually don't come to games that often.” Mark inquired as he set the cases down and leaned against the chain link fence, taking notice that the younger male was dressed in his ACUs. 

The younger boy only shrugged. “JB asked me to come and watch, thought I might as well, being as it's a pretty big game for them. And I’m commanding the color guard tonight.” 

Mark smiled knowingly, inferring that color guard was just an excuse to come without it seeming that Junior had only come for Jaebum, but mostly kept his expression polite and interested. “I’m sure everyone will be happy to see you! If they're not too invested in the game that is.”

Junior chuckled at him. “Perhaps, I'm a bit interested to see how that new freshman is shaping up, I hear he's gotten a good few touchdowns this year…” 

“Yugyeom? Yeah, he's a great kid! Very athletic and nice.” 

“How do you know about him?” 

“Bambam is close to him, plus being around so many girls, you hear things.” Mark explained simply. Since he had joined the cheerleading team they had gained two more boys, Youngjae, who had started the year after Mark, and Bambam who joined the year after Youngjae.

“Makes sense, do you think him and Jackson will work together alright?” Junior asked curiously, watching as Mark perked up slightly at the mention of the football team’s quarterback, Jackson Wang. 

“It seems like they have been so far…” The older boy mumbled, slightly getting distracted by the thought of Jackson. The athlete had captivated Mark ever since he had regularly begun to go and cheer the football team on and compete. Something about the boy’s bright smile, infectious laugh, and wild personality drew the slightly older boy to the quarterback, but the more he thought about it, Mark realized that was just how Jackson was, and knew that he had to discard whatever strange feelings he got from him. 

“Markie! The girls are about to set up the banner for the football players to run through!” A cheerful voice called from one far end of the field. 

The silver haired boy glanced up and waved at his teammate. “Coming, Youngjae!” Mark bid Junior, who claimed he had to run off as well and meet up with the rest of his color guard, a brief goodbye before running off to help the rest of the cheerleaders, Youngjae and Bambam giving him a high five and firm clap on the back when he drew close enough. 

The three of them chatted with a few of the other cheerleaders about their plan for the night, going over what chants and tricks to do. 

“We’ll have to work with the band depending on what music they play at what time.” Mark explained simply, giving a small sigh.

“Let's not forget to do our best to cheer on the football team and get all the spectators excited!” Bambam spoke up excitedly, practically jumping for joy while they all began to get into position, the young boy was always excited when they had a game, it made him giddy, which quickly rubbed off onto the rest of the team. 

The announcer over the loudspeakers spoke up, asking everyone to stand for the pledge and presentation of colors. While the band was playing and color guard marched onto the field, Mark drifted off in thought, letting his mind wander as he evaluated his own teammates. 

Youngjae was perfect male cheerleading material, even though he couldn't do flips and tumble like Mark, he had an infectious energy that made everyone around him happy and excited. Over the last year he had gained a good bit of muscle, making him a great person to toss and catch the other girls (and Bambam). 

Bambam was almost the same way, only that he fit in seamlessly with the rest of the team, being one of their few high-flyers. He was equal parts sassy and caring, assisting in providing most everyone with drama at their daily practices. The young student always commented on everyone’s fashion sense, giving them tips and ideas of what to wear and what to do differently with their hair. 

After a few moments the anthem came to a close, everyone settling into a rippling applause. The team quickly got into position, all of the girls getting on either side of the banner that Youngjae and Bambam were holding up while Mark stood in the center between both rows of girls. 

He often times lead the football team out, running ahead and doing a few backflips to get everyone riled up. This particular night he decided to do a new routine that he had only begun to practice, sure, his coach wouldn't be happy with him, but if it ended up looking great there wouldn't be any problem. 

He got a running start, tumbling and flipping as the football team ran out behind him, however on his second backflip he realized that he wasn't in the right position to stick the landing and he didn't have enough time to catch himself even though he had caught multiple feet of air. This was going to be a major problem for him and his team if it ended the way Mark knew it would, all he could do was pray that he didn't break a leg or arm as the ground rushed up to meet him. 

*****

The crowd’s cheers and screams where addicting, something about them made Jackson even more on edge than before, adrenaline pumping in his blood. Since he was the team’s quarterback, he lead them out onto the field, running on the heels of the male cheerleader in front of him. 

Jackson had met the boy a few times, his name Mark, and he intrigued him to an extent. Mark was trying something new tonight, a routine that he had only spotted glimpses of when he walked in on their cheerleading practice, but something didn't quite seem right. His backflips were too frantic, limbs flying uncomfortably as he obviously realized that he had sprung off of the ground with too much force, having no way to break his fall without being injured. 

Jackson wasn't one to want others to get injured, especially if they had no reason to get hurt in the first place. Without thinking, the quarterback sped up his pace, diving towards the slim boy and catching him in a tight grip before he had hit the ground hard enough to break a few bones. 

The crowd’s cheering grew louder as Jackson gripped Mark in his arms. “Damn…” Jackson spoke quietly as they rest of his team sprinted past, firmly hitting him on the shoulder or on his helmet as they ran by. “You alright?” 

The silver haired student wasn't able to do anything but look up at him in slight shock, keeping his expression mostly blank as a wild blush creeped onto his cheeks. 

Jackson grinned and laughed at Mark as he set the lanky boy onto his feet. “Hey, don't do that!” He chuckled, bringing his hand up and absentmindedly pinching one of Mark’s cheeks. “You'll have me falling for you instead of all the girls on your team if you keep blushing like that!” The football player said with a bright smile that reached his eyes, ruffling the cheerleader’s hair and running off when his coach yelled at him to get his ass over to the rest of the team. “Later, Mark! You better cheer loud for me!” Jackson called over his shoulder, leaving him to stand there in shock before being dragged off the field by Bambam. 

 

***

The first half of the game went by tediously, all of the cheerleaders shouting and getting the crowd of people in the stands excited as they watched the game unfold before them. Summerall was in the lead by 7 points thanks to Yugyeom and the football team’s only girl player, their kicker, Amber. 

Mark quickly found an excuse to slip away on his own, wanting a bit of time to think before halftime was over. The slim student went and leaned against the chainlink fence by the field, watching as the head coach called the football team over, ordering them to take a knee and remove their helmets before he started his speech. Mark allowed his eyes to scan the crowd of identical navy blue jerseys, finally catching eye of the one with the last name “WANG” stitched onto the back. Jackson looked exhausted, his platinum blonde hair soaked with sweat while his attentive eyes never left his coach. Mark almost felt sorry for him, being as the quarterback had hardly had time to rest, the Summerall defense shutting down their opponent quick enough to where anyone on the offensive line hardly caught a break. 

“You wanna talk about it?” A sudden voice spoke up beside Mark, slightly startling him when he saw Youngjae lean against the fence with him. 

“Huh? What are you talking about?” The older boy asked, attempting to play it off as being oblivious and hoping that his friend wouldn’t see through his front.

Youngjae scoffed and laughed beside him. “Whatever you say, Mark. I think we both know you have a thing for Jackson…” For some reason, it almost bugged Mark how easily his younger friend was able to read him. Perhaps that was just how Youngjae was as a person, or the fact that they had been around each other for a year, but either way, Mark just wished he could get off the hook for once. He didn’t like to voice his feelings, especially not in such an open and public place with so many other students walking around, but he figured he might as well open up instead of having to go through the conversation later on that night. 

“It’s not like it matters anyways, I’m just a passing face to him, nothing special.” 

“He knows your name.” The dark haired cheerleader said to him, a bit of excitement and hope in his voice. 

“Yeah,” Mark laughed. “my name.”

“Don’t you want to get closer to him? Or at least show him all that you’ve got?”

The older boy was silent for a while, watching as the coach continued to rant and the football players around him listened attentively. “No, I want to take my time with it, forcing something won’t make anyone happy. Let’s just see where it goes.” Mark mumbled after a long pause, pushing himself off the fence and heading off towards the concession stand, Youngjae trailing along behind him, the two occasionally getting stopped by other classmates. 

By the time the two of them had finished up and were headed back to the area where the rest of the team was, the Summerall marching band was out on the field preforming their show. The two boys quickly found a seat amongst the girls, spending their time talking and Mark allowing himself to listen in to some of the drama that the rest of the team was talking about. 

Most of the girls were talking about the football players, all of them commenting and taking note of how close Bambam was with Yugyeom. Mark couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, but look over to where the rest of his teammates had turned their attention. Sure enough, Yugyeom and Bambam where each pressed up against opposite sides of the chain link fence, smiling brightly at one another and leaning in close. 

Yugyeom was abnormally tall for being a freshman, he loomed over most of his upperclassmen, however his personality was sweet and open. He seemed to be considerate, but quite a good listener. He would have to be to hang around Bambam all the time. Mark was able to recall the beginning of the year when all the senior girls had gone head over heels for him, mistaking him for a senior that had just moved to the school. The conflict smoothed over almost too well, many not even caring that he was several years younger than them, and instead had just continued to gush over him and the rest of the football team. 

Mark pushed the memories aside in the moment, only quietly watching as Bambam grinned up at the wide receiver, the two having an animated conversation about something he couldn’t hear. The shorter boy talked for quite a while, eventually growing a bit bored as Yugyeom rattled on and took the open water bottle in his hands and tossed it in the football player’s face, earning a shout and loud laugh from the much taller student. 

“I’m just trying to help you cool off!”

“Cool off my ass! You’re such a punk, Bambam!” Yugyeom whined, giving his friend a light shove and shaking out his hair, spraying everyone nearby with the droplets of water. The small cheerleader only grinned wider, laughing and biting his lip as the athlete ran his hands through his soaked hair, pushing it out of the way. 

Mark gave a low hum as he watched it all unfold. “You think they know they like one another?” he spoke up as he turned to Youngjae who was watching along with him. 

“Probably not. Let's just hope they don’t drag their feelings out for as long as you and Jackson have.” He chuckled giving Mark a playful nudge, watching as the band leisurely marched off of the field. 

Mark rolled his eyes, shoving his friend off of him and telling him to act serious, the two beginning to gather the team up as the football team began to ready themselves to get back on the field and give it their all. 

***

Jackson felt exhausted. The first half of the game had almost completely drained him and he didn’t see how he could make it through another two quarters, but he knew he had to keep pushing himself for the sake of his team. 

“Wang, you’re sitting out, we’re putting Park in.” The coach spoke up as the team gathered around. 

“What, Jimin?! You can’t do that coach!” Jackson snapped without thinking, hostility obvious in his voice. He almost instantly realized that he had made a mistake, snapping his jaw shut and staring down at the laces of his cleats as they were all dismissed and the team’s offence ran out onto the field, leaving everyone else to take a seat on the bench. 

“You need to rest, I might let you got back in during the last few minutes, but you wouldn't do any good out there right now.” His coach explained simply, turning away and walking off to see how Jimin performed. 

Jackson slumped on the metal bench, putting his head down while he downed a bottle of water, pouring some into his hands and running it through his hair in an attempt to cool himself off. His thoughts wandered wildly, finally able to calm down enough to settle into a casual conversation with one of his closest friends, Amber. The two’s relationship was an odd one. They loved to piss each other off, being blunt and open with their words, ending up cursing one another out more often than not. However, even though they appeared to hate each other, those close to them could see how much they cared for and looked out for the other athlete. 

“You do realized you were a huge dick back there, right?” Amber seethed, glaring at him from where she stood on the sidelines. 

“Yeah, that’s why I shut my mouth, something you can’t really seem to do.” Jackson shot back jokingly, allowing the bit of annoyance he had to show. 

The senior football player gave a scoff at his remark, the two exchanging a few more lines of banter before the older went off to practice her kicking, leaving Jackson to brood in his own thoughts. 

For a while the quarterback turned to watch the cheerleaders, his eyes raking over the multiple girls, however lingering on the boy he had caught out of the air earlier in the night. Jackson had always been fascinated by Mark, however for no reason in particular. Maybe it was just the thought of how different he was, how he went against almost everything society said, but still managed to be completely accepted by those around him. The two of them weren’t exactly friends, however the football player wished that they were. He wanted to learn what Mark was like, listen to his problems, and hear his laugh. 

After several moments of thought and some awkward staring the quarterback came up with a solution. “Hey, Mark!” He called from where he sat, standing up and leaning over the chainlink fence so that he could properly talk to him. 

The lanky boy froze in the middle of his cheer, slightly glancing behind him at Jackson. The quarterback gave a slightly agitated sigh, motioning him to come over to him and abandon his post by the stands. 

It took a moment or two before the slightly older boy moved, jogging over to him, Jackson taking a mental note of his red cheeks.

“You wanted to see me?” Mark inquired, his deep voice raised in pitch for a reason the athlete didn’t know, however it still sounded smooth and mostly composed. 

Jackson grinned brightly, watching as the cheerleader tossed his silver hair out of his eyes, averting his gaze away from the padded athlete. “Yeah, so Amber is having a party tomorrow, and she wanted me to invite a few of the cheerleaders.”

Mark only nodded, looking at Jackson expectantly, obviously not understanding what the athlete was trying to say and expecting him to tell the cheerleader to grab a few girls for him to talk to.

“So… you wanna come?”

“To what?” Mark asked obliviously. 

Jackson rolled his eyes a bit and reached across the fence to give the skinny boy a playful nudge. “The party, I’m inviting you, bring a few friends with you if you want. Just anything that’ll make you feel comfortable, I know you don’t really get out much.”

Mark couldn’t do much but furiously blush, his eyes slowly growing wide as he stared back at the football player. 

“You coming or not, Mark?” The quarterback asked again with a small smirk. 

He was silent for a long moment before finally nodding. “Yeah, I think it’ll a bunch of fun.” he chuckled brightly, turning away when his coach called for him to get back in formation. “I’ll see you then, alright? Good luck out there, I’ll be cheering loud for you.” Mark told him with a small smirk of his own before running off hurriedly towards his own respected team.


	2. The Lineup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark finds himself at a party he doesn't want to be at with people he would rather live without. Amongst the crowd and obnoxious music, he finds himself catching the attention of a particular star quarterback.

Mark had made a huge mistake. For some reason the lanky cheerleader had agreed to show up at Amber’s party out in the middle of nowhere in the country. The sun was setting, lighting the rolling hills on fire with it’s golden rays as clouds danced over the horizon, shifting from a lazy pink to a deep purple. Mark was riding in the passenger seat of Youngjae’s old station wagon, the car creaking along the old asphalt road while a few of his teammates chatted in the back seat. He had taken it upon himself to invite a few of the girls he was close with on the team to go with him, Jackson had told him to do so anyways, so he figured there was really no problem. 

The car sputtered as they took a turn down an old dirt road, or rather just a very long driveway, being as vehicles were parked in rows on either side of the dusty path. There was a large house a short walk away, the pounding music easily being heard from where everyone had climbed out of the groaning station wagon. 

Mark was getting more anxious the more steps he took toward the house. He always felt uneasy around people, sure, Mark had close friends, but large crowds made him feel suffocated and trapped. The slim athlete had always had social anxiety, it wasn’t as extreme as it could have been, however it being a big enough problem to affect his day to day life in some type of way. Cheerleading had assisted greatly in helping him adjust, it forced him to get used to talking to different people and traveling multiple places. 

Him, Youngjae,and the few girls he had dragged along with him reached the doorway much sooner than he felt comfortable with, the pounding music shaking the house in front of them. “You know… Maybe we should just leave, it seems pretty crowded anyways. How about we all go see a movie instead?” Mark spoke up after a moment, beginning to take a step away from the doorway. 

The girls around him gave a whine and began to complain, claiming that he was no fun and needed to loosen up. Youngjae chuckled slightly, rubbing Mark’s back and leaning in close to his ear.

“Don't’ worry about it, you know I'll be here the entire time, just try to relax.” His younger friend told him with his usual bright smile. At Youngjae’s reassurance Mark calmed down a bit, giving a small nod and a deep breath as they walked through the packed doorway. 

The house was mostly dark with the exception of a number of lights strung across the ceiling and doorways, illuminating the bodies that were packed into the rooms. Solo cups were scattered all over the bare furniture, most pictures and other items stowed away out of sight. The entire house smelled like sweat and booze, almost enough to make Mark sick to his stomach. 

After a few moments of pushing past groups of people a petite but muscular girl bounced up to them, her short black hair tossed up into a messy quiff. “Hey, you must be Mark? Welcome to mi casa! The parent’s are gone for the weekend so enjoy yourself, just don’t puke on the carpet… or end up like those two over there.” She told the small group, nodding in the direction of one corner of the dark room before giving a brief wave and disappearing to split up a few rambunctious boys who were attempting to swing at one another in their drunken state. 

Mark didn’t take much of it into consideration, too focused on getting away from the packed bodies and getting somewhere he could actually breathe. The rest of the girls he had brought with him disappeared almost instantly into the crowd, going to get wasted or hang off the arm of a football player. 

Youngjae stayed by his friend’s side the entire time, dragging him into the kitchen and sitting him down on one of the bar stools. “I’ll get you something to drink, just wait a second, alright?” He told Mark before heading off to grab him a beer, chatting with a few students on the way to the cooler. 

Mark sat in his seat silently, ignoring when someone glanced his way or looked like they were about to attempt to start a conversation with him. Soon enough Youngjae returned, placing a beer can in his hand and popping the top on it. 

The older boy quickly took a sip from his drink, scrunching his nose in disgust as the bitter liquid slid down his throat. He hated the taste of alcohol, but Mark knew that the more he drank the less vile the booze would taste hitting his tongue, and the more relaxed and at ease he would feel in the large crowd of people. 

As he chatted quietly with Youngjae he watched as students drifted in and out of the kitchen, spotting a few that he knew like other football players or people on the student council. He was almost halfway through his beer when he caught ear of Jackson’s infectious laugh and obnoxious shouting. 

**** 

Jackson was hammered. Absolutely and wonderfully hammered. He was stumbling around and shouting, completely unaware of what kind of shit was spewing out his mouth. He didn't quite know what all he had done that night, but frankly, he didn't care as he partied along with everyone else. He never looked to see who he was drinking or dancing with, only focusing on immersing himself in the moment and allowing himself to let go. 

Horny and desperate bodies were pressed against him as the music’s bass pounded in his ears, making it impossible to hear anything but his own erratic heartbeat and slurred thoughts. He was messing with everyone, poking fun at anyone that was nearby, including Yugyeom and Bambam who were pressed against each other in the back corner of the large room, doing God knows what. 

After about half an hour of grinding and pressing against desperate girls Jackson grew bored, somewhat thankful when Amber yanked him off to the side to complain and drill into his head that it wasn't civilized to dance inappropriately against people the way he was. 

“I don't see you telling that to anyone else around here.” Jackson mumbled drunkenly, stumbling slightly when his friend sharply shoved his shoulder. 

“It's because I expect more out of you.” She spat, although her scolding sounded more disappointed than angry.

Jackson couldn't help but laugh and sling an arm around the sturdy girl. “You're so cute when you get worried about people.~” He slurred, poking her nose with a ‘boop’ and grinning widely. 

The older girl have an irritated huff, patting the muscular arm around her shoulder and allowing him to lean on her as she dragged him off towards the kitchen. “Go outside and sober up, okay? I don't want you passed out on the floor when it's not even midnight yet.” Amber told him, leading the athlete through the throng of people before giving him a light shove in the direction of the door and disappearing behind him, most likely going to mouth off another senior. 

The quarterback whined, but stumbled his way into the kitchen, getting himself a cup of water. As the faucet water ran into his solo cup, Jackson watched outside out of the window above the sink. Students were gathered around in groups around Amber’s in-ground pool, lounging in lawn chairs and taking the opportunity to talk privately or take a break from the dancing inside. 

A few students gathered quietly around the fire pit on Amber’s back patio caught his attention after a moment, a head of silver hair standing out against all the others. Jackson shut the water off after a moment, taking his cup and beginning to saunter out the back door to go and mingle amongst the party-goers. Since he had invited Mark, the least he could do was go and say hello, wasn't it? 

The night air was humid, sticking unpleasantly to his skin as he stumbled out onto the patio. A few of his classmates called out his name, the athlete only giving a small wave in acknowledgement, occasionally greeting them back obnoxiously. Jackson’s attention however was mainly focused on Mark, the older boy’s anxious expression appearing out of place against the small groups of students smiling and conversing. 

“Heyyyyy!! What's up my people!?” Jackson spoke up loudly when he made approached the small circle the cheerleader and a few others were standing in. Jackson threw an arm around one of his teammates in his drunken state, a bit of water spilling out of his cup and onto the patio. 

The few others greeted him back with grins, all except for Mark, who simply avoided his gaze. The lanky boy mumbled an excuse to get away under his breath, claiming that he needed another drink before slipping away and heading inside. 

****

Mark got away as quickly as possible, it’s not that he didn’t want to see Jackson, it’s the fact that Jackson was completely wasted that made him uncomfortable. Under any other circumstance Mark would deeply enjoy standing around and listening to the stout athlete talk and laugh with other teammates and students, but seeing him so impaired… Mark didn’t quite know what to think. 

The cheerleader’s feet moved on their own, guiding him across the patio and through the back door into Amber’s kitchen. He had lost where Youngjae was half an hour ago, but Mark was starting to calm down enough to where he felt comfortable without his friend constantly by his side. 

A few called out his name when he entered into the house, waving him over and giving large grins. Mark however just gave a polite smile and raised a hand as if to say hello and decline their invitation into the different groups. The kitchen felt suffocating, not so much as it was earlier, but with so many students flowing in and out of the open room, he felt like he would get dragged away like the current of a river. After much maneuvering the boy was finally able to snatch another drink from one of the many coolers, following a few sophomores out the back door to the patio. 

Music was still pounding from inside, the heavy bass becoming a dull thud in his ears as Mark made his way to a patio chair, sitting himself down by a few athletes. He recognized one by the name of Jimin, the football player that took Jackson’s place at the end of the game the night before. 

“Mark, right? Man, your stunts are always so awesome, I wish I was as good as you.” Jimin had told him after greeting him, his grin wide enough to crinkle his bright eyes. 

“Nah, it’s nothing really, I’m sure you’d be good at it too if you had enough practice. Good job last night at the game by the way, I was pretty impressed.” Mark told him with a polite smile, he didn’t mention the fact that while the young boy was playing Jackson’s position the night before the opposing football team managed to score too many points than most of the spectators and coaches felt comfortable with. 

“I didn’t do that good, it was my first time competing this school year, I was pretty out of it.” The younger boy told him, leaning back in his chair. 

“You can only get better.” The cheerleader said rather simply, standing up to leave when a few others began pulling up seats around the group he had joined for the time being. After briefly placing a hand on Jimin’s shoulder, he departed, wandering off in an attempt to locate Youngjae once again.

The night drew on lazily, party goers came and went as they pleased, many opting to stay inside and away from the nipping mosquitoes and gnats. Mark on the other hand, felt the most comfortable sitting on the patio with the bugs, even if the muggy air clung to his clothes awkwardly, he would rather take his chances with the elements than be packed inside next to so many desperate bodies. Youngjae had joined him again, relieved to see his friend had relaxed enough to be somewhat comfortable around the crowd of people. 

Jackson approached them a while later, having sobered up, probably thanks to Amber and her scolding. “Mark, I meant to tell you earlier, but I’m glad you showed up. I know it’s rare that you go to things like this.” The blonde told him with a carefree smile, sitting back lazily in a flimsy lawn chair. 

Mark could only manage a shrug, taking a sip from his drink which by now wasn’t near as vile as it was at the beginning of the night. “Thought it’d be good to get away from my siblings for the night.” He mumbled loud enough to be heard by those close, averting his eyes towards a couple who were getting heated on one side of the patio.

“Can’t really say I know what that’s like.” Jackson informed him, giving a slight chuckle when he saw where the cheerleader’s gaze was. “Have you been having fun? You talk to anyone other than your friend here?” He laughed, briefly raising his hand in the direction of Youngjae, who rolled his eyes in response.

“Yeah actually, other than the fact so many people are here, it’s been great, thanks for inviting me.” Mark softly smiled, meeting the football player’s eyes briefly. 

Their casual conversation dragged on slowly, Jackson easily getting Youngjae involved in the conversation after mentioning a few topics that related to his interests. At that moment all three of them, or rather, Jackson and Youngjae with Mark occasionally throwing in a few comments, were in the middle of a quite heated discussion about different types of dogs. 

Mark was content in that moment. The air didn’t feel as muggy and the night felt pleasant. The school year had started smoothly, and with a new year Mark always found himself finding new friends. Maybe this go round Jackson would finally be on that list. 

Expectations of him were going to be raised however, and that was one thing he wasn't looking forward to. He heard that a student’s junior year of highschool was the hardest. But he had already decided that no matter what type of turmoil he went through during the upcoming year, he would give his all in regards to everything he was involved in. 

This year Mark would have to start looking for colleges, preferably universities that would look at his accomplishments as a cheerleader as well as his grades. There were a few collages he had his eye on, but he rarely anticipated what he would do after high school, the thought of moving away from everything he knew was something that truthfully scared him. 

Mark was shook from his thoughts a few moments later by Youngjae attempting to grab his attention. “It's getting late, we should go, don't you think?” He told him briefly, a small smile on his lips. 

The cheerleader raised his eyebrows. Time had seemed to pass by so quickly, it felt as if Jackson had just sat down beside them. Mark however didn't show his disappointment or tell Youngjae that he wanted to stay, only carefully nodding in a response. “Sure, let's go.” 

As the two stood to leave, the star quarterback got to his feet as well, lightly catching Mark’s wrist. Jackson’s fingertips lightly grazed over the slender boy’s arm, causing him to jump out of slight surprise. “Hey, before you go, we gotta get a picture together.” 

“Hmm? Yeah, sure. Let’s make it quick though.” Mark told him, a polite smirk gracing his lips. Youngjae gave a slightly irritated glance in the direction of the pair, however simply waving Mark away and telling him he would be at the car. 

Within a matter of minutes Jackson had happened to get his hands on a small polaroid camera, beaming brightly at the older boy and stepping closer, hooking an arm around Mark’s neck fondly. “Smile big!” He told him, turning the camera where the lens was facing them. “1...2...3…” Jackson grinned, a flash from the camera capturing the image of the two boys pressed together. After the first picture had been taken, the football player told him to look up for one more photo, a second flash following after the first. 

Mark was quick to leave after their polaroids were taken, not one to want to keep Youngjae waiting and tossing a brief goodbye to Jackson over his shoulder, telling him he would see him at school the next Monday. During the bumpy ride back down the old dirt road, Mark found himself lost in his own thoughts, staring blankly at the slowly developing picture in his hand under the artificial light inside the cabin of his friend’s sputtering station wagon. The photograph slowly came into focus, resulting in a fond smile from Mark as he stared down at the image. Jackson was grinning brightly at the camera, his eyes shining with what Mark could only describe as pure joy, the athlete’s arm firmly hooked around the silver-haired boy’s neck. The cheerleader on the other hand, looked out of place next to the muscular quarterback, his smile not as wide or showing his teeth, however his dark eyes showed the fondness he felt in the moment. After admiring his polaroid for a few moments, Mark turned off the overhead light, leaning heavily against the passenger side door and staring out into the night sky at the moon hanging low in the sky. Youngjae didn’t speak throughout the car ride, deciding it best not to mention exactly how Mark was staring somewhat longingly at the photo in his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been forever since I've updated. I never originally planned for this to become a fic, it first started out as a drabble. I've had to do a lot of planning with the plot and such, I'll do my best to write and update as soon as I can, with my summer break coming up it should be a lot easier to post. It would be much appreciated if you would be so kind as to leave your comments and thoughts below!  
> ~Caity

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone~
> 
> This is my first fic on this website! I hope you enjoyed it and will look forward to reading more chapters in the future. I'll do my best to post regularly or whenever inspiration comes my way.
> 
> Feel free to leave your comments and criticism below!~
> 
> -Caity


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